There are multiple genres in Frankenstein*
It has been called :
- a gothic novel
- pioneering work of science fiction
- a feminist parabale
- and even an autobiography.
- This "bears testimony to the remarkable vividness of Mary Shelley's vision, and it reflects the versatile quality of its central motifs, which can be interpreted in several different ways so as to carry several different messages." ("Frankenstein and the Origins of Science Fiction" by Brian Stableford. See HERE for the full essay)
What is a Gothic Novel ?
The Gothic novel is "a kind of novel with sensational and
horrifying events, popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries." The Gothic novel horrifies through the atmosphere of a
combination of the barbarous, the supernatural elements, and the locale.
The majority of critics and historians of the English novel agree that the
term "Gothic novel" conveys three meanings:
- barbarous (Gothic historical)
- supernatural (Gothic terror)
- and fearful mysteries (Gothic horror). (Said I Abedlwahed, "The Gothic Frankenstein and the Romantics" See HERE for full essay)
The first Gothic horror novel was The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, published in 1754. Perhaps the last type of novel in this mode was Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, published in 1847. In between 1754 and 1847, several other novels appeared using the Gothic horror story as a central story telling device, The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) and The Italian (1794) by Ann Radcliffe, The Monk(1796) by Matthew G. Lewis, and Melmouth the Wanderer (1820) by Charles Maturin. (Cliff Notes)
The term ‘Gothic’ is highly amorphous and open to diverse interpretations; it is suggestive of an uncanny atmosphere of wilderness gloom and horror based on the supernatural. The weird and eerie atmosphere of the Gothic fiction was derived from the Gothic architecture: castles, cathedrals, forts and monasteries with labyrinths of dark corridors, cellars and tunnels which evoked the feelings of horror, wildness, suspense and gloom.
The haunted castles with secret passages, vaults and dark galleries full of terrible howling wind, which caused thunderous noises of a mysterious nature aroused fear and terror in the minds of the readers as if they were trapped within a graveyard. Belief in the supernatural, the magic and in the existence of spirits and ghosts have always haunted man. (from bachelorandmaster)
Click HERE for features of Gothic Fiction
Yes it's a Gothic Novel
Gothic Novels deal with dramatic supernatural themes, are often set in gloomy and isolated locations and contain horrific and terrifying events. We can instantly associate some of these characteristics with Frankenstein.
First of all Shelley uses rather mysterious circumstances to have Victor Frankenstein create the monster: the cloudy circumstances under which Victor gathers body parts for his experiments and the use of little known modern technologies for unnatural purposes, can all be seen as part of this.
Shelley employs another important feature of the Gothic, the presence of supernatural elements by focusing on the eerie theme of creating a monster out of the parts of dead bodies. Shelley takes full advantage of this literary device to enhance the strange feelings that Frankenstein generates in its readers. The thought of raising the dead would have made the average reader wince in disbelief and terror. Imagining Victor wandering the streets of Ingolstadt or the Orkney Islands after dark on a search for body parts adds to the sense of revulsion purposefully designed to evoke from the reader a feeling of dread for the characters involved in the story. The same feelings are evoked by the long chase by Victor all through the wilds, hazardous terrains, then getting a sledge, exchanging it with another to pursue the monster as he follows the words carved and engraved on the bark of the trees and on stones, and finally, getting trapped in the ice. All such descriptions are suggestive of the Gothic.
Frankenstein bears a close resemblance to Satan. There are many connections between the creature and Satan, giving him an unworldly presence and suggesting that he is supernatural. Both Satan and the creature betrayed and rebelled against their creators. Like Satan, the creature does not exact his revenge directly on his creator but instead attacks the things he loves most. Furthermore, Satan is ejected from heaven by God because of his rebellious nature, and similarly, the creature is abandoned by Victor. The creature's words: "Evil thenceforth became my good" echo almost exactly Satan's plea: "Evil be thou my Good."
The important emotional responses that the Gothic novels try to evoke is that of fear, terror and horror. There are many passages in Frankenstein, which evoke the feelings of fear and terror. Victor collecting bones in the charnel houses and graves and working in his filthy workshop totally cut off from the rest of the habitation. He himself feels horror struck when he looks at his own creation – the yellow skin which scarcely covered the muscles and arteries, watery eyes almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets, shriveled complexion and black-lips.
The gigantic figure he creates horrifies the creator and he rushes out, tries to get sleep finds the monster looking at him; the very sight shocks him and he rushes out to spend the entire night walking about in the courtyard down below. There is then the monster’s attempt to coax the child William to befriend him and strangle him. Though the narratives come from the mouth of the Monster to Victor and Victor to Walton, the effect is truly uncanny and eerie. Upon hearing the story for the first time, Lord Byron is said to have run screaming from the room, so the desired effect was achieved by Mary Shelley.
Gothic Novels deal with dramatic supernatural themes, are often set in gloomy and isolated locations and contain horrific and terrifying events. We can instantly associate some of these characteristics with Frankenstein.
First of all Shelley uses rather mysterious circumstances to have Victor Frankenstein create the monster: the cloudy circumstances under which Victor gathers body parts for his experiments and the use of little known modern technologies for unnatural purposes, can all be seen as part of this.
Shelley employs another important feature of the Gothic, the presence of supernatural elements by focusing on the eerie theme of creating a monster out of the parts of dead bodies. Shelley takes full advantage of this literary device to enhance the strange feelings that Frankenstein generates in its readers. The thought of raising the dead would have made the average reader wince in disbelief and terror. Imagining Victor wandering the streets of Ingolstadt or the Orkney Islands after dark on a search for body parts adds to the sense of revulsion purposefully designed to evoke from the reader a feeling of dread for the characters involved in the story. The same feelings are evoked by the long chase by Victor all through the wilds, hazardous terrains, then getting a sledge, exchanging it with another to pursue the monster as he follows the words carved and engraved on the bark of the trees and on stones, and finally, getting trapped in the ice. All such descriptions are suggestive of the Gothic.
Frankenstein bears a close resemblance to Satan. There are many connections between the creature and Satan, giving him an unworldly presence and suggesting that he is supernatural. Both Satan and the creature betrayed and rebelled against their creators. Like Satan, the creature does not exact his revenge directly on his creator but instead attacks the things he loves most. Furthermore, Satan is ejected from heaven by God because of his rebellious nature, and similarly, the creature is abandoned by Victor. The creature's words: "Evil thenceforth became my good" echo almost exactly Satan's plea: "Evil be thou my Good."
The important emotional responses that the Gothic novels try to evoke is that of fear, terror and horror. There are many passages in Frankenstein, which evoke the feelings of fear and terror. Victor collecting bones in the charnel houses and graves and working in his filthy workshop totally cut off from the rest of the habitation. He himself feels horror struck when he looks at his own creation – the yellow skin which scarcely covered the muscles and arteries, watery eyes almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets, shriveled complexion and black-lips.
The gigantic figure he creates horrifies the creator and he rushes out, tries to get sleep finds the monster looking at him; the very sight shocks him and he rushes out to spend the entire night walking about in the courtyard down below. There is then the monster’s attempt to coax the child William to befriend him and strangle him. Though the narratives come from the mouth of the Monster to Victor and Victor to Walton, the effect is truly uncanny and eerie. Upon hearing the story for the first time, Lord Byron is said to have run screaming from the room, so the desired effect was achieved by Mary Shelley.
Gothic novels also take place in gloomy places like old buildings (particularly castles or rooms with secret passageways), dungeons, or towers that serve as a backdrop for the mysterious circumstances.
Also, far away places that seem mysterious to the readers function as part of the Gothic novel's setting. Frankenstein is set in continental Europe, specifically Switzerland and Germany, where many of Shelley's readers had not been. Further, the incorporation of the chase scenes through the Arctic regions takes us even further from England into regions unexplored by most readers. Likewise, Dracula is set in Transylvania, a region in Romania near the Hungarian border. Victor's laboratory is the perfect place to create a new type of human being. Laboratories and scientific experiments were not known to the average reader, thus this was an added element of mystery and gloom.
A familiar type of Gothic story is, of course, the ghost story. In fact, in the Introduction to the 1831 edition of the novel, Mary Shelley informs the readers that the novel emerged from the notorious ‘ghost story’ contest in which Mary, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron and Dr Polidori were involved.
In the Gothic novel, the characters seem to bridge the mortal world and the supernatural world. Dracula lives as both a normal person and as the undead, moving easily between both worlds to accomplish his aims. Likewise, the Frankenstein monster seems to have some sort of communication between himself and his creator, because the monster appears wherever Victor goes. The monster also moves with amazing superhuman speed with Victor matching him in the chase towards the North Pole. Thus, Mary Shelley combines several ingredients to create a memorable novel in the Gothic tradition.
In early Gothic novels, women were presented as stereotypically weak, helpless and prone to threats by powerful and tyrannical male characters. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley does draw on some of the elements of the traditional Gothic female for her female characters however Shelley's female characters have much more of an influential role than their traditional counterparts. (See post for Submissive women in Frankenstein, to be added soon)
The use of multiple narrators is frequently used in Gothic literature in order to add a degree of realism to a gothic story so that the events are more believable and more thus horrifying to a reader. The use of multiple narrators also provides different perceptions of events and would keep readers interested. Mary Shelley uses this technique in Frankenstein, the narrators being: Victor himself, Walton and the creature, in order to emphasise how closely related the three characters are. Walton's narrative is the 'top level' of the novel's events with Victor's story on the level below. The Gothic element of this narrative form is clear when we look at the creature's narrative which is at the 'deepest' point of the novel. This may suggest a fall into darkness where the creature's narrative represents the deepest and darkest forces of the novel.
In the Gothic novel, the characters seem to bridge the mortal world and the supernatural world. Dracula lives as both a normal person and as the undead, moving easily between both worlds to accomplish his aims. Likewise, the Frankenstein monster seems to have some sort of communication between himself and his creator, because the monster appears wherever Victor goes. The monster also moves with amazing superhuman speed with Victor matching him in the chase towards the North Pole. Thus, Mary Shelley combines several ingredients to create a memorable novel in the Gothic tradition.
In early Gothic novels, women were presented as stereotypically weak, helpless and prone to threats by powerful and tyrannical male characters. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley does draw on some of the elements of the traditional Gothic female for her female characters however Shelley's female characters have much more of an influential role than their traditional counterparts. (See post for Submissive women in Frankenstein, to be added soon)
The use of multiple narrators is frequently used in Gothic literature in order to add a degree of realism to a gothic story so that the events are more believable and more thus horrifying to a reader. The use of multiple narrators also provides different perceptions of events and would keep readers interested. Mary Shelley uses this technique in Frankenstein, the narrators being: Victor himself, Walton and the creature, in order to emphasise how closely related the three characters are. Walton's narrative is the 'top level' of the novel's events with Victor's story on the level below. The Gothic element of this narrative form is clear when we look at the creature's narrative which is at the 'deepest' point of the novel. This may suggest a fall into darkness where the creature's narrative represents the deepest and darkest forces of the novel.
Leading on from this, there is also a re-emergence from darkness which is commonly found in Gothic novels. For example, in Dracula, Van Helsing manages to track down and destroy Count Dracula by the end of the novel. Another interpretation of the narrative is that it has created an open-ended conclusion to the novel. This is true to some extent because we are left uncertain as to the creature's fate. Although "borne away" and "lost in darkness and distance" suggest that the creature becomes powerless and completely gone, the word "lost" preserves the possibility that the creature is still alive. The creature is still 'out there' and is in a metaphorical sense still out there today. This idea of uncertainty is also commonly found in the endings of many other Gothic Novels such as The Vampyre. I believe that the use of several narratives in Frankenstein does provide a strong argument for why we should consider the novel to be purely gothic because through interpretation of the narrative, we are made aware of several gothic elements in the novel including that of a descend into darkness and a re-emergence from darkness as well as the use of an open-ended conclusion.
- The supernatural is an important element in any Gothic literature. However, one could argue that the creature itself is not supernatural because although the creature is superhuman, he is 'flesh and blood' and shows many human emotions and traits. For example, the creature shows dislike for what he has become and he believes that if Victor provides him with a companion, he could change: "My vices are the children of a forced solitude that I abhor; and my virtues will necessarily arise when I live in communion with an equal". The use of the words "children" and "vices" suggests that the sins and evil deed he has committed will be passed down to his offspring, indicating a deep regret for his actions, suggesting that the creature is less evil than we first thought.
- This is interesting because a huge contrast is presented; the creature is regretful and sorrowful for his evil actions however the supernatural generally do not show any emotions because they exist for one and only purpose, to create fear and terror. Therefore, perhaps, the creature cannot be classified as a supernatural character because of his 'human-like' traits as well as the fact that the creature was created through scientific means rather than through rituals and spells. However, by analysing the word "vices" more closely, it actually has religious connotations, in particular to Satan because in Roman Catholicism, the word "vice" refers to betrayal. (ukessays.com)
Similarly, Brian Stableford does not think that Frankenstein is a Gothic Novel. ("Frankenstein and the Origins of Science Fiction" by Brian Stableford. See HERE for the full essay)
He argues that though there are elements of the Gothic in Shelley's Frankenstein, one cannot fully understand the scope of this novel, if we do not see it as the birth of a new genre itself, i.e. of Science Fiction
Stableford Writes:
Frankenstein is often called a Gothic novel, on the grounds that the popular horror stories of its day mostly shared a set of characteristics which justified that label, but it ought not to be thus classified. Despite certain similarities of method and tone, its subject matter is very different from that of the classic Gothic novels. Horace Walpole's definitive The Castle of Otranto (1764), Anne Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794), Matthew Gregory Lewis's The Monk (1796) and Charles Maturin's Melmoth the Wanderer (1820) all involve sinister ancient edifices, evil conspiracies, hideous apparitions (invariably interpreted as supernatural, though sometimes ultimately rationalized), the threat of sexual violation, and intimations of incest. Frankenstein employs none of these motifs.
Moreover, Victor Frankenstein might be regarded as a distant literary cousin of the diabolically-inspired (or seemingly diabolical) villains of the Classic Gothic novels, but his personality and his ambitions are very different. Although he takes some early inspiration from {48} occult writings of a kind which the inquisitorially-minded might regard as the devil's work, he undertakes a decisive change of direction when he decides that it is modern science, not ancient magic, that will open the portals of wisdom for scholars of his and future generations.
So if we pretend that it is Gothic Novel in spite of these facts, it only helps to hide the remarkable originality of its own subject-matter, which is broader and more forward-looking.
Moreover, Victor Frankenstein might be regarded as a distant literary cousin of the diabolically-inspired (or seemingly diabolical) villains of the Classic Gothic novels, but his personality and his ambitions are very different. Although he takes some early inspiration from {48} occult writings of a kind which the inquisitorially-minded might regard as the devil's work, he undertakes a decisive change of direction when he decides that it is modern science, not ancient magic, that will open the portals of wisdom for scholars of his and future generations.
So if we pretend that it is Gothic Novel in spite of these facts, it only helps to hide the remarkable originality of its own subject-matter, which is broader and more forward-looking.
In fact, we need to see that Frankenstein began the exploration of imaginative territory into which no previous author had penetrated. For this reason the novel is more aptly discussed as a pioneering work of science fiction, albeit one that was written at least half a century before its time and one which does considerable disservice to the image of science as an instrument of human progress.**
ENDNOTES
*This blog post puts together material taken from various internet sources. Points from this post can be used for general questions regarding Genre in Frankenstein.
**See blog post on Science Fiction for more on this issue
Advanced Reading
- For a more advanced and exhaustive treatment of Frankenstein as a Gothic Novel click HERE (not necessary for exam)
- Mediation's Sleight of Hand: The Two Vectors of the Gothic in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" (JSTOR_will send the pdf)
- https://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-literature/can-frankenstein-be-considered-purely-gothic-english-literature-essay.php
- http://www.gothic.stir.ac.uk/guestblog/gothic-science-fiction-–-a-beginning/
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